Somersault is a 2004 Australian romantic drama film written and directed by Cate Shortland in her feature directorial debut.

Exploring the themes of sexuality, alienation and emotion, Somersault is about a 16-year-old girl named Heidi (Abbie Cornish) who flees her Canberra home to the mountain town of Jindabyne in New South Wales.

There she meets Joe (Worthington), the son of a local farmer, and gradually forms a relationship with him, despite his difficulty in expressing his feelings.

She takes a bus to a ski resort in the Snowy River National Park where a man lives who once gave her his business card and invited her to contact him if she was ever in town.

In a bar, a young man called Joe who saw her in the club the previous night buys her a drink.

Irene, knowing she doesn't have the money for the room, puts her in her son's flat, though she still wants rent in due course.

When Joe and Heidi go to a Chinese restaurant, she asks him if he loves her, and when he refuses to make any commitment or even discuss it, she swallows a bowl of hot chili peppers.

The website's critics consensus reads, "A poignant coming-of-age tale marked by a breakout lead performance from Abbie Cornish and a successful directorial debut from Cate Shortland.

"[6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 73, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

I have images from the film that haunt me still, Heidi’s hands – that ultimate connecting point of us all, her vulnerable body wrapped up against the cold in her pale blue parka, the landscape of that world at the bottom of the mountains".

Fenella Kernebone for SBS noted "Somersault is a real labour of love for Cate Shortland and every element in the film is carefully considered."

[8] In the 2004 AFI Awards held on 29 October at Regent Theatre, Melbourne, Somersault made history by winning in all 13 categories.

Somersault was also a big winner at the 2004 Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) Annual Awards where it picked up five awards: Best Film; Best Director (Cate Shortland); Best Actress (Abbie Cornish); Best Cinematography (Robert Humphreys); Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Lynette Curran).

It won awards in the following categories: Best Director (Cate Shortland), Best Music, Best Cinematography, Best Script, Best Feature Film and Best Actress for Abbie Cornish.